Building Code Overview

Goals of 
The Code

According to IBC 101.3, Intent:
"The purpose of this code is to establish the minimum requirements to provide a reasonable level of safety, public health, and general welfare through structural strength, means of egress facilities, stability, sanitation, adequate light and ventilation, energy conservation, and safety to life and property from fire and other hazards attributed to the built environment and to provide a reasonable level of safety to fire fighters and emergency responders during emergency operations."

The building code is a collection of the best available knowledge of the profession, and has served its purpose of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the communities extremely well. A 2005 study run by the National Institute of Building Sciences’ Multihazard Mitigation Council found four dollars is saved after major events for every dollar spent on code-based mitigation. A study from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety conducted after Hurricane Charley in 2004 found that “conformance to current building codes reduced the severity of losses by 42 percent and the loss frequency by 60 percent.”